Geek culture galore at G33K Art Show

WhatsOnNov 23, 2012Waterloo Region Record

KITCHENER — Miroki Tong is busy putting up posters and making final arrangements for a second annual art exhibit that is unique in the region, since it showcases the many faces of geek culture — comics, art works, crafts, jewelry, clothing and music.

The G33K Art Show will be held Saturday and Sunday in the rotunda at city hall, featuring sequential/comic art, sci-fi and fantasy, among other alternative artists and musicians. Featured artists this year include Scott Chantler, Hugh Rookwood and Adrian Alphona.

“It’s going to be exciting, I am sure,” Tong said. “It is the only one in the region.”

Tong, a performance artist working in music, art, theatre, film and voice-over, unknowingly tapped into a wellspring of interest in geek culture with the first art show last year in the Kaufman Art Studio on Queen Street South. It was an immediate success and the space was packed to capacity.

“There was so much interest in it I thought, ‘You know, I might just have to do this again,’ ” Tong said.

When Tong went looking for a larger venue for this year’s show, the City of Kitchener came on board as a sponsor and offered up the main-floor rotunda inside city hall.

The not-for-profit event is a natural fit for city officials, who want to turn much of the downtown into a walkable urban neighbourhood with a vibrant arts and culture scene and lots of startup technology companies.

Tong hopes the art show bridges any gaps between geek culture and the wider community.

“This show is for everyone who wants to see something different and new,” Tong said. “It is for both adults and children.”

One of the highlights of this year’s G33K Art Show will be a comic workshop hosted by Scott Chantler, a Shuster Award-winning cartoonist. The workshop is called WHAT To Draw, Not HOW To Draw, and runs 2-3 p.m. on both days. Those interested should register at the information desk.

When Tong attended the University of Waterloo, she loved an English course on science fiction taught by J. Andrew Deman, who did his PhD on comic books. Tong invited Deman to give a talk on the influence of geek culture.

Up until the rise of steam power and the coming of the Industrial Revolution, the word “geek” was not an insult. Industrialization created tension between the technology behind it and the people displaced because of it.

“As a result of that, geeks were perceived as being almost like traitors,” Deman said. “They were with the machines and against human beings.”

That changed around 1984 with the arrival of the personal computer.

“All of a sudden, everyone has this massive technological brain inside their house,” Deman said. “As a result, you can’t really hate people who are with the machines anymore because the machine is in your home.”

Geek culture galore at G33K Art Show

WhatsOnNov 23, 2012Waterloo Region Record

KITCHENER — Miroki Tong is busy putting up posters and making final arrangements for a second annual art exhibit that is unique in the region, since it showcases the many faces of geek culture — comics, art works, crafts, jewelry, clothing and music.

The G33K Art Show will be held Saturday and Sunday in the rotunda at city hall, featuring sequential/comic art, sci-fi and fantasy, among other alternative artists and musicians. Featured artists this year include Scott Chantler, Hugh Rookwood and Adrian Alphona.

“It’s going to be exciting, I am sure,” Tong said. “It is the only one in the region.”

Tong, a performance artist working in music, art, theatre, film and voice-over, unknowingly tapped into a wellspring of interest in geek culture with the first art show last year in the Kaufman Art Studio on Queen Street South. It was an immediate success and the space was packed to capacity.

“There was so much interest in it I thought, ‘You know, I might just have to do this again,’ ” Tong said.

When Tong went looking for a larger venue for this year’s show, the City of Kitchener came on board as a sponsor and offered up the main-floor rotunda inside city hall.

The not-for-profit event is a natural fit for city officials, who want to turn much of the downtown into a walkable urban neighbourhood with a vibrant arts and culture scene and lots of startup technology companies.

Tong hopes the art show bridges any gaps between geek culture and the wider community.

“This show is for everyone who wants to see something different and new,” Tong said. “It is for both adults and children.”

One of the highlights of this year’s G33K Art Show will be a comic workshop hosted by Scott Chantler, a Shuster Award-winning cartoonist. The workshop is called WHAT To Draw, Not HOW To Draw, and runs 2-3 p.m. on both days. Those interested should register at the information desk.

When Tong attended the University of Waterloo, she loved an English course on science fiction taught by J. Andrew Deman, who did his PhD on comic books. Tong invited Deman to give a talk on the influence of geek culture.

Up until the rise of steam power and the coming of the Industrial Revolution, the word “geek” was not an insult. Industrialization created tension between the technology behind it and the people displaced because of it.

“As a result of that, geeks were perceived as being almost like traitors,” Deman said. “They were with the machines and against human beings.”

That changed around 1984 with the arrival of the personal computer.

“All of a sudden, everyone has this massive technological brain inside their house,” Deman said. “As a result, you can’t really hate people who are with the machines anymore because the machine is in your home.”

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Geek culture galore at G33K Art Show

WhatsOnNov 23, 2012Waterloo Region Record

KITCHENER — Miroki Tong is busy putting up posters and making final arrangements for a second annual art exhibit that is unique in the region, since it showcases the many faces of geek culture — comics, art works, crafts, jewelry, clothing and music.

The G33K Art Show will be held Saturday and Sunday in the rotunda at city hall, featuring sequential/comic art, sci-fi and fantasy, among other alternative artists and musicians. Featured artists this year include Scott Chantler, Hugh Rookwood and Adrian Alphona.

“It’s going to be exciting, I am sure,” Tong said. “It is the only one in the region.”

Tong, a performance artist working in music, art, theatre, film and voice-over, unknowingly tapped into a wellspring of interest in geek culture with the first art show last year in the Kaufman Art Studio on Queen Street South. It was an immediate success and the space was packed to capacity.

“There was so much interest in it I thought, ‘You know, I might just have to do this again,’ ” Tong said.

When Tong went looking for a larger venue for this year’s show, the City of Kitchener came on board as a sponsor and offered up the main-floor rotunda inside city hall.

The not-for-profit event is a natural fit for city officials, who want to turn much of the downtown into a walkable urban neighbourhood with a vibrant arts and culture scene and lots of startup technology companies.

Tong hopes the art show bridges any gaps between geek culture and the wider community.

“This show is for everyone who wants to see something different and new,” Tong said. “It is for both adults and children.”

One of the highlights of this year’s G33K Art Show will be a comic workshop hosted by Scott Chantler, a Shuster Award-winning cartoonist. The workshop is called WHAT To Draw, Not HOW To Draw, and runs 2-3 p.m. on both days. Those interested should register at the information desk.

When Tong attended the University of Waterloo, she loved an English course on science fiction taught by J. Andrew Deman, who did his PhD on comic books. Tong invited Deman to give a talk on the influence of geek culture.

Up until the rise of steam power and the coming of the Industrial Revolution, the word “geek” was not an insult. Industrialization created tension between the technology behind it and the people displaced because of it.

“As a result of that, geeks were perceived as being almost like traitors,” Deman said. “They were with the machines and against human beings.”

That changed around 1984 with the arrival of the personal computer.

“All of a sudden, everyone has this massive technological brain inside their house,” Deman said. “As a result, you can’t really hate people who are with the machines anymore because the machine is in your home.”